Following the ratification of the a third bailout deal by the Greek Parliament, major international media outlets focused on the rift within the SYRIZA party and the potential of snap elections in Greece.
On Thursday morning, after a lengthy discussion, the Greek parliament ratified the omnibus bill of reforms agreed between the Greek government and international creditors. The highlight of the session however was the 43 SYRIZA MPs that did not vote in favor of the deal. As a result of the party’s losses, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called the parliament to hold a confidence vote for the Greek government.
Reuters noted that the bailout deal was approved with the support of the political opposition and the unprecedented number of 43 opposing and absentee votes of Greek government MPs.
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung not only pointed out the significant number of dissidents but also the reasons for which Tsipras would benefit from snap elections. Among these are his high approval ratings, which the newspaper noted could deteriorate once the implementation of austerity reforms begins, as well as the fact that snap elections would give SYRIZA dissidents limited amount of time to organize.
In a similar fashion, Sueddeutsche Zeitung laid out the options Tsipras has at his disposal, namely to call for snap elections before SYRIZA’s scheduled convention in September or to wait and clear the party’s strategy at the convention. The newspaper also wrote that New Democracy has little incentive to push for elections, given the lack of a permanent leader in the party.
French newspaper Le Monde also focused on the evident division within the SYRIZA party and noted that the Greek government has effectively lost confidence to rule.
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